Understanding Gangs: More Prevelant in Lower-Class Neighborhoods

There are several elements that may cause gangs to flourish. Various pulls and pushes occur that cause young people to join gangs. For some, the pulls that make them join. For instance, the attraction it offers, the promise or expectations of friendship, opportunities to make money, or the ability to prove something. For others, the pushes compel them to join they may join out of fear of physical injury by gangs or seek protection from other gangs. Some feel that they are expected to join a gang because of relatives and friends or have been accused of being a gang member that causes them to join. For Latinos and Chicanos, gangs are a part of their communities and a source of cultural pride and identification gangs provide support for their neighborhood and share broader cultural values.

Many of the older gang members culturally socialize younger males into the gangs and many members' parents were gang members, which depicts a generational occurrence within Chicano and Latino gangs. In prison, ethnic gangs attract and socialize inmates either from the same race or cultural background or from the same neighborhood. The prison and street gangs have strong bonds because the experiences in prison are similar to those in the street or the neighborhood, so prisons merely become an extension of the streets. The majority of gangs come from the low socioeconomic groups in society and many young people join gangs due to family and social problems. Most gangs are part of the urban, inner city and many families in these areas suffer from bleak unemployment, violence and disparity. Most grow up in female-headed households and the lack of stability and discipline contribute to the need to be part of a gang.

Few social and economic opportunities, along with the decline of institutions inability to control or communicate effectively with young people lead many to seek solace in a gang. Most gangs are intra-racial and members share common family, social, and economic backgrounds. One joins because others like him are involved in gangs and he may feel the need to join a gang. Gangs are viewed as part of the neighborhood and many of these neighborhoods are in socially disorganized urban areas that experience violence often, so some feel the need to join a gang because of all the violence surrounding them. Many gang members also are involved in legitimate social activities but for some the gang pulls them further and further away from conventional society and since being part of a gang means being involved in various criminal activities, including violent crimes, being labeled a criminal or a gang member will result in a lesser commitment to legitimate activities and making it more difficult to be attached, committed, and involved in conventional society.

Being a known gang member by police, school officials, and others in the community further alienates the person to become fully attached, committed, and involved to the gang life. Many gang members come from unstable families and suffer from psychological needs, the lack of a male/father figure causes many to have a low self esteem and have feelings of inadequacy and a gang fulfils this void. Many feel the need to gain a reputation for being tough due to feelings of inadequacies. Social disorganization in many urban communities leads to the decline in housing, employment opportunities and schools. Companies and middle and working class families move out creating high unemployment and inadequate schools that create conditions leading to the development and growth of gangs.

Unsupervised youths with little or no opportunities eventually find interest in gangs and over a long period of time gangs become more institutionalized in the community and have greater influence over the lives of young people. Most gangs define their gang according to affiliation and cultural aspects that make it like a family to members. Families that are unstable, dysfunctional or are headed by single mothers have a difficult time controlling and supervising young people. An education become less important because of the bleak employment outlook, therefore, school is seen as unimportant. Gang activities tend to pull members away from any attachment, commitment or involvement in school activities. However, gangs don't necessarily run schools because of their delinquent behavior many gang members are kicked out of school and therefore don't have much influence over schools. But gang members that attend school may have influence on non-gang members and pressure them to join or threaten them if they feel they are part of a rival gang.

Many gang members share common negative experiences: severe family problems, school failure, low self-esteem, and the lack of interest in legitimate activities the gang provides a solution to these problems along with a sense of identity. Many adolescents may suffer from identity crisis and the gang provides social attachment. Traditional social controls from the community have a weak effect on the behavior of gangs because they are isolated from conventional society. Criminal or violent activities becomes a way to act out anger or frustration felt from members based on family, school or other social. Defiant members may exert violence because of their need to remove themselves for external social controls and the natural resistance to authority. The gang also allows young people from low economic areas with few legitimate employment opportunities the ability to make money from illegitimate opportunities like drug selling, robberies, even burglaries. The few legitimate jobs available pay very low wages and don't provide the ability to purchase the fashionable and expensive clothes, jewelry and cars that many want.

Female gang members still hold traditional roles and customs deeply rooted in society. Females may be kept from joining gangs due to greater parental supervision, even with just one parent girls receive more parental supervision at home, however, females are more likely to run away from home. They also are more likely to stay at home and take care of chores instead of hang out with friends. Schools also seem to have more social control over females and females have less school and discipline problems. Also, females are more likely to obey authority figures. Some females seem to suffer long term social consequences from being in a gang then males children of female gang members were more likely to become gang members than those of male members and socio-economic opportunities were less available for females; however, most could be socially integrated much easier back into conventional society than males.

Female members tend to have serious family problems were they experience domestic violence, were sexually and physically abused and were exposed to more substance abuse and even though many female members thought being in a gang increased their social well being, their experiences in the family and the way male members thought of them as sexual commodities caused them to be victimized twice. Just like schools deal with gangs through zero tolerance the police deal with gangs the same way. Police focus on reducing gangs, criminal activities and gang violence through specialized task or groups.

The family is the most important institution in a person's life and disruptions and problems within the family are magnified in one's life and is one of the reasons many gangs develop and the various problems associated with gang members. Low self esteem, self worth, feelings of inadequacy, drug use and violence occurs in the young person when they experience serious family problems like abuse, violence, drug use, etc. I believe the justice system can develop policies like the ones mentioned above but there needs to be ongoing interest from the government, schools and families to focus on cultural, social, and economic influences on young people. Businesses and government would definitely need to provide economic assistance and job opportunities in low socio-economic communities. More political, social, economic and cultural aspects need to be addressed.